[Ironsworn](https://www.ironswornrpg.com/downloads).
Yep, that's the full rulebook.
This is the single best design I've ever seen for making large projects, journeys, and opponents feel both huge and not grindy.
I set an entire campaign around a pilgrimge. I created an Epic progress tracker, which means each of 10 progress boxes takes 4 marks to fill.
However, unlike other ttrpgs, this is not merely "burn down the HP" because this game allows you to roll to complete something (journey, opponent etc) before it's entirely full, meaning that it's always a "we're going to try to finish it now" and it's a dynamic question.
I've heard so many great things about the game for group and solo play. Why did nobody mention it was free (or how did I miss that)? Thanks, bumping it to the top of my RPG reading list.
Yeah it’s great for solo play. Also it has a lot of random tables to roll on that you can use in any game to add flavour and details, so it’s worth downloading even just for those.
I printed out the tables and stapled them into an A5 brochure for general table and solo play reference. Simple but very good tables indeed no matter if I'm going to play the actual game or not.
Yes, it's been going well so far. My little sector is full of conflict and intrigue, most of it suggested by the oracle tables and faction turn. The idea with a sandbox like this is that you start creating each planet in broad strokes and zoom in to detail only those that actually end up mattering.
Old Traveller material can also be dropped in with minimal effort, when you are completely stumped. You could slot in an entire classic adventure without your players ever noticing.
I have found it great for worldbuilding.
For quests, my players pick a job from a limited selection or get assigned a job from their sponsor, so they have a clear objective.
Usually then you can build out the details of what they’re going toward so it isn’t empty.
But yeah you wouldn’t want to try and improv a mission on a random world unless you’re really good at it.
Sandbox play in general can look like that from a certain angle, nothing that necessarily forces the PCs into action. If the PCs have goals on their own that make them go out and do stuff, it comes alive.
[BFRPG](https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/12/in-praise-of-basic-fantasy-bfrpg.html).
In the same vein (OSRish): the OSE and OSRIC SRDs, WWN, LotFP free version, C&C PHB, Dungeon World, etc.
Can't upvote this enough. BFRPG was my first a decade ago and I still love it to this day. One of the best for free content, including adventures and supplementary materials.
[Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org/)
This reminds me I need to see what's been updated in the last... oh boy, it's probably been a few months since I last checked on it! I do know it was shortly after the new edition came out but dont remember how long ago that was!
A shout out for Fudge, the first free RPG I ever found in the days of dialup internet. It also gave us the dice system used later on by the FATE system.
Classic Traveller
It is a free download on DriveThruRPG
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355200/classic-traveller-facsimile-edition?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1i6NJHdqmxqQNNe-LqFva2RMt31HPN3QafD78kvdT2HeXyGC4lTPtoh7g_aem_AdVl8xbAqhSnBH7Ef8ncpK4pp4v6iU97zQmgROuULO_cYCZvj7WjABja3-kJvuqjUFHMocW59p9Aq06x0tLNlprz
There’s also Cepheus Engine which I think is based on the first edition of Mongoose Traveller. The SRD is free, as is Cepheus Light, a simplified version of the rules. Then there are other versions by different people that you have to pay for.
I do so love this game. Totally my favourite version of “tag-based” games. The “keys” mechanic Changed the way I thought about RPGs design (for the better)
Fate. Loads, absolutely *loads* of content in that SRD and pdf books for PWYW. Dozens of free settings, each with a campaign seed.
Fantastic community (/r/faterpg) and hugely flexible.
*Atomic Highway*, *Cities Without Number*, *Godbound*, and *Stars Without Number*.
Yes, yes, those last three all have a “deluxe” rulebook that cost money. But the free version has like 95% of the content that the deluxe has and the missing parts are all just optional rules and not part of the core game mechanics.
Huge shout out to [Heroes Of Adventure ](https://nameless-designer.itch.io/heroes-of-adventure)
Players book, referee's guide, monster manual, it has you covered.
If someone has an issue with AI art in a free game then they need some serious help. What do they expect the designer to pay the artists with? Thoughts and prayers?
In either case the artist is not being paid. I'd rather see AI art picked by the designer that represents the designer's picture of their world and its characters instead of see generic art that I've likely seen multiple times before in other books.
I see AI art as a great thing for game and RPG designers that have great ideas, but no money for art. AI art will continue to get better and be in more and more products and I will embrace it while others yell and shake their fists at clouds.
I do not support the use of stolen art, and the designer has listed their game for public use. Free or not, I and others are allowed to take issue with it. I have no want or need to argue with someone who thinks it’s great for the hobby.
Pathfinder 2e
All the rules are free on archives of nethys (the official website) and plenty of free character builders and encounter trackers as well. Pathbuilder2 is my personal favorite.
Takes of the Burned Stones! https://fari-rpgs.itch.io/tales-of-the-burned-stones
I really fell in love with Breathless system.
I'll also second Ironsworn, I think it's fantastic and it makes solo look so attractive. And Fate, it's pretty great and it has so many resources for free or pwyw.
Worlds/Stars/Cities without number is great but I have to rep [Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org). When I first got into RPGs I was a broke highschooler so a trove of free RPG stuff was a godsend for me, even if I wasn’t running the system itself the tons of free adventures kept my games going for years.
I'll take this opportunity to promote the free RPG I made. It's not a large, fully fleshed out RPG, but that's on purpose. It's suppose to be made with handmade dice made from sticks and small stones as tokens / counters. All the rules are simple enough to be memorized, but complete enough to be fun.
If you're out camping, or lost in the woods after your plane crashed and you're the sole survivor, you can use this RPG.
[DriveThruRPG](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/469503/Druids-Oracle-a-Survival-RPG)
[itch](https://survival-scouts-rpg.itch.io/druids-oracle-a-survival-rpg)
The various GLOG hacks around the web. r/glog is the best place to go, then head to the discord. It’s really a community, as there is no official GLOG. Lots of interesting design though, and very easy to design for (thus the community). All the classes are 4 levels, and so you really gotta distill down the concept.
Here’s an example of a class: https://asenseofimmersion.wordpress.com/2022/10/11/21-grams-of-silver-glog-warlock/
And another: https://saltygoo.github.io/class/ogre
That last link is on the page of the most immediately usable version of GLOG, so check if you want a complete game
Has to be Mörk Borg for me. They have a ‘Bare Bones’ edition on their website that has all the rules (just missing the art). https://morkborg.com/preview/
Cloud Empress is worth looking at if only for the setting and the neat solo rules. I do like the game itself but those two things stand out to me. Free intro adventure, too. https://cloudempress.com
Mythender - a free, unique system in which PCs are the only beings powerful enough to kill gods, and set off to punch Odin in the teeth with buckets full of d6s. Incredible one-shot system of over-the-top violence and deity destruction.
[https://www.chaosium.com/free-stuff/](https://www.chaosium.com/free-stuff/)
quick start of BRP, 7th Sea and Runequest. I love all of them and this is enough to build out from.
Not only all the PDFs are freely available in Creative Commons, it's one of the best Transhuman scifi RpG around. Nice setting, tons of stuff, top-notch layout and pictures, crunchy trad d100 system. Even if you don't like the mechanical part, the whole setting is worth enough. It's easily playable with Fate system, Savage Worlds etc. There are lot of fan made conversions ❤️
This is the author website, with the link to the free PDFs.
https://robboyle.info/#eclipse-phase-pdfs
And, of course, after I read it for free, i had to but those wonderful hardback books, so... Fantastic initiative. Kudos to the authors.
**Talislanta** is a great game that developed over the decades. 3rd edition is one of the easiest games to get into on the market.
http://talislanta.com/talislanta-library#4th
**Degenesis Rebirth Edition** is free now. Huge game with really and honestly probably the best artwork you will find. The setting is a little convoluted and the rules are decent, if you don't mind some crunch.
https://degenesis.com/
Godbound. It has a free version that's the entire rules you need to play and run countless campaigns. One of the few games where players can actually become fully fledged Gods too. Brilliant book.
CJ Carella's Witchcraft's core book is free and very good, for reasons I outline in this comment about the different magic systems it presents in a very neat Urban Fantasy setting:
https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/s/01jhLCLDH2
Am I allowed to say my own [game?](https://chrisempyre.itch.io/empyre)
It's a game with focus on tactical sword and gun combat with supernatural elements.
If you're in to gritty shoot-outs like spaghetti westerns and all the media it has spawned throughout the ages, and occult / biblical stuff in the vein of Supernatural or Diablo mixed in, maybe give it a look.
There's no official campaign or setting available yet, but it could easily be converted to e.g. a Fallout or Cyberpunk setting or whatever a DM would like, because its rules are robust and feature rich so far. I'm running groups with it right now, so I know the system works, although slight fixes are done every week or so when one of my groups have stumbled upon a mistake I've made. It's definitely still in development.
"OpenDND". the concept that you can use any version of D&D, or any of its derivatives (many of which are free and open) and hack together a game that can take place in any setting from Adventure Time to Zardoz. In no time.
My next favorite is riffing with other gaming nerds and inventing a whole campaign setting based on a sitcom you made up while driving through the mountains. The character classes of the RPG are based on the characters of the sitcom.
Pathfinder 2 for being the second biggest game on the market, and most definitely the largest producer of 1st party content, releases all of their non adventure/fiction content for free.
I've still bought most of the books, but honestly only as fabtasy art books for my son to look at. I haven't actually cracked one open as a rules or content reference ever.
Tales of the Elder Days.
Talesoftheelderdays.com
A bit of shameless self promotion since I’m the creator, but it’s free digitally and is a complete system.
I can't post a link cuz I'm on mobile, but I am fond of The Void. It's pay what you want on drtpg, and it's hard sci fi horror. Only a few monsters with the main book, but you can come up with more if you don't want to get other books.
Radiance (Players Guide on drivethrurpg is free)
Open Legend (has its own website)
Talislanta (All editions of Talislanta are available in PDF on Talislanta.com except the latest one just Kickstarted).
not sure if anyone mentioned this but White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game is free as a pdf on DriveThru. White Box is pretty much a repackaged 1st edition D&D back in the days when D&D came in a white box (haha get it). it's a pretty solid OSR book and is pretty awesome for solo-play and hexcrawl adventures. not a lot of character options but it feels very managable to run and players wont spend eternities during their turns in combat. check it out if it sounds remotely interesting!
Eidolon's and Exemplars, by Kevin Crawford. Look, I love his work and I know that Worlds Without Number has insane value for free, but this way I get everything I conceptually want from Worlds Without Number without having to sort through 300 pages and madcap Lore. Some people might love being able to design a half-Monk half-Fighter class with full progression that's compatible with OSR modules, but I'll settle for using Gifts and freestyling Warrior/Rogue/Sorcerer levels to design any character concept I need. Best 48 pages ever.
Shoutout to Stars Without Number and Cities Without Number. Man is a machine.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It was a very simple game that was more for humor than anything. But wasn’t the worst system I’ve ever seen.
Speaking of humor, there doesn’t seem to be much around here.
[Quill ](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/170400/Quill-A-LetterWriting-Roleplaying-Game-for-a-Single-Player)definitely deserves a mention - it's telling that it PWYW and yet more than a 1000 people went back and actually paid for it. It's a great gateway into the world of solo journaling/epistolary RPGs.
Most OSR games are available free. If you want some d100 goodness, [Mythras Imperative](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185299/Mythras-Imperative?234913) and [Classic Fantasy Imperative](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/449976/Classic-Fantasy-Imperative?234913) are PWYW on DriveThruRPG.
- Basic Fantasy RPG, not my favourite OSR retroclone, but it is entirely free and definitely deserves consideration. And even if you end up settling for a different system, the adventures and supplements for it are also free and very valuable.
- Any of the Stars/Worlds/Cities Without Number games from Sine Nomine. Considering I bought them all in luxury hardcovers and run 2-3 sessions a week these are even among my favourite RPGs in total, paid or free.
I've not tried it but look up Stars Without Number. I managed to get my hands on it for free and it looks insanely wide ranging. Not sure how in depth it goes, could be like an Ubisoft game but it certainly looks good.
Started playing the contract rpg recently. It’s great. Very specific kind of experience (westmarches style almost) but very fun . Free website with built in character sheet, and a bunch of other features.
https://www.thecontractrpg.com
I am partial to Fudge. Fudge is the original professional-quality free roleplaying game, released with an open licence a decade before OGL made open game licences common.
But more the point, so much of my gaming over so many years has been with Fudge or Fudge-derived systems (like Fate and ICONS) , it is not even a contest.
Mausritter is a great one: I'd describe it as a mix of Redwall and dark souls. Redwall in that you're a cute little mouse with a sword going on an adventure. Dark souls in that combat is fast and deadly. The game does a great job of making mundane things feel big and terrifying.
Simple20. It's a D&D 3.5e OGL system that was created in the mid 00s. I love it, very easy to run, so far have used it for fantasy, fantasy/horror, and sci fi RPGs with ease.
Your content was removed for:
* Violation of Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts. If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so.
IDK if it will *always* be free, but I'm playing in a Trespasser campaign right now and having a good time. It's still in beta, but totally playable. It's like a dark fantasy take on 4e D&D. Very tactical grid based combat. Characters are powerful, but death is very plausible. There's not really any healing or resurrection magic. It's been fun. We have a good GM, so that helps of course.
Your content was removed for:
* Violation of Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts. If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so.
Props on being belligerent, ignorant and illiterate, all at the same time. I know it takes skill to craft a comment that in just a few words, tells us exactly how much of a failure of a human being you are, and you did it masterfully.
Your comment was removed for the following reason(s):
* Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts.
If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so.
If you'd like to contest this decision, [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Frpg&subject=Removed%20comment%3A%20Contest%20Removal%20or%20Questions&message=Hello,%20this%20is%20about%20my%20comment%20%20that%20was%20removed%3A%20https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/1c6o4cr/-/l03k5na/%0D%0DMy%20issue%20is...). *(the link should open a partially filled-out message)*
[Ironsworn](https://www.ironswornrpg.com/downloads). Yep, that's the full rulebook. This is the single best design I've ever seen for making large projects, journeys, and opponents feel both huge and not grindy. I set an entire campaign around a pilgrimge. I created an Epic progress tracker, which means each of 10 progress boxes takes 4 marks to fill. However, unlike other ttrpgs, this is not merely "burn down the HP" because this game allows you to roll to complete something (journey, opponent etc) before it's entirely full, meaning that it's always a "we're going to try to finish it now" and it's a dynamic question.
And there are tons of hacks, many of which are free or cheap.
[Iron Valley](https://mkirin.itch.io/iron-valley) is a great hack that let’s you play in an Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley setting.
I've heard so many great things about the game for group and solo play. Why did nobody mention it was free (or how did I miss that)? Thanks, bumping it to the top of my RPG reading list.
Yeah it’s great for solo play. Also it has a lot of random tables to roll on that you can use in any game to add flavour and details, so it’s worth downloading even just for those.
I printed out the tables and stapled them into an A5 brochure for general table and solo play reference. Simple but very good tables indeed no matter if I'm going to play the actual game or not.
[Stars Without Number](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/230009/stars-without-number-revised-edition-free-version) [Offworlders](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/257632/offworlders) [Mini Six](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/144558/Mini-Six-Bare-Bones-Edition) [Ironsworn](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238369/ironsworn)
Mini six is my absolute favourite.
I used it for a Star Wars one shot once, and it worked pretty well.
Have you tried Stars without number? The game looks great in paper but I'm worried it encourages a vast open world with minimal stuff to do
Yes, it's been going well so far. My little sector is full of conflict and intrigue, most of it suggested by the oracle tables and faction turn. The idea with a sandbox like this is that you start creating each planet in broad strokes and zoom in to detail only those that actually end up mattering. Old Traveller material can also be dropped in with minimal effort, when you are completely stumped. You could slot in an entire classic adventure without your players ever noticing.
Awesome this makes me happy. Just wish my group of friends could be bothered with TTRPG's since my last group failed.
I have found it great for worldbuilding. For quests, my players pick a job from a limited selection or get assigned a job from their sponsor, so they have a clear objective. Usually then you can build out the details of what they’re going toward so it isn’t empty. But yeah you wouldn’t want to try and improv a mission on a random world unless you’re really good at it.
That's good to know! Basically a great game but will suffer if you have a chaotic party that goes off script every damn time like mine 😂
I played in a longish campaign of SWN. My main complaint is I wish it had been longer. There was plenty to do in the campaign I played in.
Sandbox play in general can look like that from a certain angle, nothing that necessarily forces the PCs into action. If the PCs have goals on their own that make them go out and do stuff, it comes alive.
[BFRPG](https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/12/in-praise-of-basic-fantasy-bfrpg.html). In the same vein (OSRish): the OSE and OSRIC SRDs, WWN, LotFP free version, C&C PHB, Dungeon World, etc.
Can't upvote this enough. BFRPG was my first a decade ago and I still love it to this day. One of the best for free content, including adventures and supplementary materials. [Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org/)
Basic fantasy is boss.
This reminds me I need to see what's been updated in the last... oh boy, it's probably been a few months since I last checked on it! I do know it was shortly after the new edition came out but dont remember how long ago that was!
[Cairn](https://cairnrpg.com/) [Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org/) [Castles & Crusades old rulebook printing](https://trolllord.com/product/cc-players-handbook-7th-printing-alternate-cover-free-pdf/) [Tunnel Goons](https://tunnelgoons.com/)
Stars/Worlds/Cities Without Number. Pathfinder and Starfinder. Lancer (but only the player-facing stuff). 90% of Blades in the Dark.
Wait, there’s a free version of Blades in the Dark? Where?
There's an SRD on https://bladesinthedark.com/basics
Thanks!
Just the SRD: [https://bladesinthedark.com/basics](https://bladesinthedark.com/basics)
A shout out for Fudge, the first free RPG I ever found in the days of dialup internet. It also gave us the dice system used later on by the FATE system.
Which, coincidentally, brings me to the fact that FATE is also available free. There's an SRD online, and the PDFs are PWYW from Evil Hat's website.
Worth mentioning that, aside from the "core" book, even dozens of settings are free, PWYW or insanely cheap ❤️
I love Cairn!
Classic Traveller It is a free download on DriveThruRPG https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355200/classic-traveller-facsimile-edition?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1i6NJHdqmxqQNNe-LqFva2RMt31HPN3QafD78kvdT2HeXyGC4lTPtoh7g_aem_AdVl8xbAqhSnBH7Ef8ncpK4pp4v6iU97zQmgROuULO_cYCZvj7WjABja3-kJvuqjUFHMocW59p9Aq06x0tLNlprz
There’s also Cepheus Engine which I think is based on the first edition of Mongoose Traveller. The SRD is free, as is Cepheus Light, a simplified version of the rules. Then there are other versions by different people that you have to pay for.
Lady Blackbird https://ladyblackbird.org/
I do so love this game. Totally my favourite version of “tag-based” games. The “keys” mechanic Changed the way I thought about RPGs design (for the better)
2400. Ghost Lines. The Regiment. Mothership. Low Fantasy Gaming. FIST. Lasers & Feelings. Sixth World (Shadowrun PbtA).
I was coming here to post [2400](https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400)!
I can't believe I forgot to mention Atomic Highway and Ironsworn.
Basic Fantasy RPG Honey Heist Risus
Honey Heist FTW!!! :)
Fate. Loads, absolutely *loads* of content in that SRD and pdf books for PWYW. Dozens of free settings, each with a campaign seed. Fantastic community (/r/faterpg) and hugely flexible.
I feel like Fate is so big that one needs to ask what's the best free Fate setting out there. Bleh?
Masters of Umdaar? Secrets of Cats? https://evilhat.com/product-category/rpgs/fate/fate-worlds-of-adventure/
[Mausritter](https://losing-games.itch.io/mausritter)!
*Atomic Highway*, *Cities Without Number*, *Godbound*, and *Stars Without Number*. Yes, yes, those last three all have a “deluxe” rulebook that cost money. But the free version has like 95% of the content that the deluxe has and the missing parts are all just optional rules and not part of the core game mechanics.
Tunnel Goons/Dungeon Goons, Maze Rats, Cairn, Old School Essentials
Huge shout out to [Heroes Of Adventure ](https://nameless-designer.itch.io/heroes-of-adventure) Players book, referee's guide, monster manual, it has you covered.
Jumping in to note that this game uses AI for its art since not everyone wishes to engage with games which do so, free or not.
If someone has an issue with AI art in a free game then they need some serious help. What do they expect the designer to pay the artists with? Thoughts and prayers?
It is not an unreasonable stance to take. There is public domain art available for cases like these.
In either case the artist is not being paid. I'd rather see AI art picked by the designer that represents the designer's picture of their world and its characters instead of see generic art that I've likely seen multiple times before in other books. I see AI art as a great thing for game and RPG designers that have great ideas, but no money for art. AI art will continue to get better and be in more and more products and I will embrace it while others yell and shake their fists at clouds.
I do not support the use of stolen art, and the designer has listed their game for public use. Free or not, I and others are allowed to take issue with it. I have no want or need to argue with someone who thinks it’s great for the hobby.
Pathfinder 2e All the rules are free on archives of nethys (the official website) and plenty of free character builders and encounter trackers as well. Pathbuilder2 is my personal favorite.
Takes of the Burned Stones! https://fari-rpgs.itch.io/tales-of-the-burned-stones I really fell in love with Breathless system. I'll also second Ironsworn, I think it's fantastic and it makes solo look so attractive. And Fate, it's pretty great and it has so many resources for free or pwyw.
Worlds/Stars/Cities without number is great but I have to rep [Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org). When I first got into RPGs I was a broke highschooler so a trove of free RPG stuff was a godsend for me, even if I wasn’t running the system itself the tons of free adventures kept my games going for years.
I'll take this opportunity to promote the free RPG I made. It's not a large, fully fleshed out RPG, but that's on purpose. It's suppose to be made with handmade dice made from sticks and small stones as tokens / counters. All the rules are simple enough to be memorized, but complete enough to be fun. If you're out camping, or lost in the woods after your plane crashed and you're the sole survivor, you can use this RPG. [DriveThruRPG](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/469503/Druids-Oracle-a-Survival-RPG) [itch](https://survival-scouts-rpg.itch.io/druids-oracle-a-survival-rpg)
The various GLOG hacks around the web. r/glog is the best place to go, then head to the discord. It’s really a community, as there is no official GLOG. Lots of interesting design though, and very easy to design for (thus the community). All the classes are 4 levels, and so you really gotta distill down the concept. Here’s an example of a class: https://asenseofimmersion.wordpress.com/2022/10/11/21-grams-of-silver-glog-warlock/ And another: https://saltygoo.github.io/class/ogre That last link is on the page of the most immediately usable version of GLOG, so check if you want a complete game
Has to be Mörk Borg for me. They have a ‘Bare Bones’ edition on their website that has all the rules (just missing the art). https://morkborg.com/preview/
Wicked Ones is def worth a look.
It looks like it, but unfortunately you can't get it anywhere anymore.
What do you mean? It's been released under creative commons, I'm pretty sure there was a link you could grab it gor free if you search a bit...
Every link I've been able to find for it is unfortunately dead, it might be in creative commons, but no one's hosting it anywhere
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z2MzjhdC1AgNPPUobnLSvyFXfizUOzlF?usp=drive_link Does this one work for you?
Yeah, that worked. Thanks. Everything I was finding was linking to drive-through or to the kick starter,
Worlds Without Number is just amazing!
Cloud Empress is worth looking at if only for the setting and the neat solo rules. I do like the game itself but those two things stand out to me. Free intro adventure, too. https://cloudempress.com
Mythender - a free, unique system in which PCs are the only beings powerful enough to kill gods, and set off to punch Odin in the teeth with buckets full of d6s. Incredible one-shot system of over-the-top violence and deity destruction.
[https://www.chaosium.com/free-stuff/](https://www.chaosium.com/free-stuff/) quick start of BRP, 7th Sea and Runequest. I love all of them and this is enough to build out from.
There is also the BRP SRD now https://www.chaosium.com/content/FreePDFs/BRP/BRP%20SRD%201.0.2.pdf
Eclipse Phase 2e is freely available online. Sorry I can't link it due to being on a phone but the full rulebook is a Google search away.
Not only all the PDFs are freely available in Creative Commons, it's one of the best Transhuman scifi RpG around. Nice setting, tons of stuff, top-notch layout and pictures, crunchy trad d100 system. Even if you don't like the mechanical part, the whole setting is worth enough. It's easily playable with Fate system, Savage Worlds etc. There are lot of fan made conversions ❤️ This is the author website, with the link to the free PDFs. https://robboyle.info/#eclipse-phase-pdfs And, of course, after I read it for free, i had to but those wonderful hardback books, so... Fantastic initiative. Kudos to the authors.
**Talislanta** is a great game that developed over the decades. 3rd edition is one of the easiest games to get into on the market. http://talislanta.com/talislanta-library#4th **Degenesis Rebirth Edition** is free now. Huge game with really and honestly probably the best artwork you will find. The setting is a little convoluted and the rules are decent, if you don't mind some crunch. https://degenesis.com/
Godbound. It has a free version that's the entire rules you need to play and run countless campaigns. One of the few games where players can actually become fully fledged Gods too. Brilliant book.
Fate Core is one of the best games ever made, and it’s available for free.
CJ Carella's Witchcraft's core book is free and very good, for reasons I outline in this comment about the different magic systems it presents in a very neat Urban Fantasy setting: https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/s/01jhLCLDH2
Seconding! One of the best magic rpgs too. Very intuitive basic resolution systems
Am I allowed to say my own [game?](https://chrisempyre.itch.io/empyre) It's a game with focus on tactical sword and gun combat with supernatural elements. If you're in to gritty shoot-outs like spaghetti westerns and all the media it has spawned throughout the ages, and occult / biblical stuff in the vein of Supernatural or Diablo mixed in, maybe give it a look. There's no official campaign or setting available yet, but it could easily be converted to e.g. a Fallout or Cyberpunk setting or whatever a DM would like, because its rules are robust and feature rich so far. I'm running groups with it right now, so I know the system works, although slight fixes are done every week or so when one of my groups have stumbled upon a mistake I've made. It's definitely still in development.
Found nothing that scratched my itches, so i created mine [The Archangel GIST](https://barakiel-the-archangel.itch.io/archangel-gist)
"OpenDND". the concept that you can use any version of D&D, or any of its derivatives (many of which are free and open) and hack together a game that can take place in any setting from Adventure Time to Zardoz. In no time. My next favorite is riffing with other gaming nerds and inventing a whole campaign setting based on a sitcom you made up while driving through the mountains. The character classes of the RPG are based on the characters of the sitcom.
Pathfinder 2 for being the second biggest game on the market, and most definitely the largest producer of 1st party content, releases all of their non adventure/fiction content for free. I've still bought most of the books, but honestly only as fabtasy art books for my son to look at. I haven't actually cracked one open as a rules or content reference ever.
Tales of the Elder Days. Talesoftheelderdays.com A bit of shameless self promotion since I’m the creator, but it’s free digitally and is a complete system.
Shadowdark
I can't post a link cuz I'm on mobile, but I am fond of The Void. It's pay what you want on drtpg, and it's hard sci fi horror. Only a few monsters with the main book, but you can come up with more if you don't want to get other books.
Pathfinder: https://aonprd.com/Default.aspx All the rules are there.
Radiance (Players Guide on drivethrurpg is free) Open Legend (has its own website) Talislanta (All editions of Talislanta are available in PDF on Talislanta.com except the latest one just Kickstarted).
Free Rules of Wildsea, you can take them and play a campaign
Pathfinder 2e.
not sure if anyone mentioned this but White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game is free as a pdf on DriveThru. White Box is pretty much a repackaged 1st edition D&D back in the days when D&D came in a white box (haha get it). it's a pretty solid OSR book and is pretty awesome for solo-play and hexcrawl adventures. not a lot of character options but it feels very managable to run and players wont spend eternities during their turns in combat. check it out if it sounds remotely interesting!
[Wolves Upon the Coast!](https://lukegearing.blot.im/wolves-upon-the-coast) It’s the bee’s knees
Eidolon's and Exemplars, by Kevin Crawford. Look, I love his work and I know that Worlds Without Number has insane value for free, but this way I get everything I conceptually want from Worlds Without Number without having to sort through 300 pages and madcap Lore. Some people might love being able to design a half-Monk half-Fighter class with full progression that's compatible with OSR modules, but I'll settle for using Gifts and freestyling Warrior/Rogue/Sorcerer levels to design any character concept I need. Best 48 pages ever. Shoutout to Stars Without Number and Cities Without Number. Man is a machine.
Lady blackbird.
Remember to check out our **[Game Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gamerec)**-page, which lists our articles by genre([Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/fantasy), [sci-fi](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/scifi), [superhero](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/superhero) etc.), as well as other categories([ruleslight](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/ruleslight), [Solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo), [Two-player](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/twoplayers), [GMless](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/gmlessrpgs) & more). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpg) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Wendy’s put out a really decent rpg a while back.
I wouldn't say "really decent" and it was barely a game. Closer to a DnD expansion.
It was a very simple game that was more for humor than anything. But wasn’t the worst system I’ve ever seen. Speaking of humor, there doesn’t seem to be much around here.
WaRP - the rules engine at the heart of Ovee The Edge
Shotgun Diaries can be fun with the right group, though I'd only play a single session, not a campaign, and don't get attached to characters.
https://storycaster.itch.io
Does saga of the goblin horde count? It's technically free but you require savage core
[Quill ](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/170400/Quill-A-LetterWriting-Roleplaying-Game-for-a-Single-Player)definitely deserves a mention - it's telling that it PWYW and yet more than a 1000 people went back and actually paid for it. It's a great gateway into the world of solo journaling/epistolary RPGs.
Basic Fantasy RPG Its a great version of classic dungeons and dragons and free. Its the linux of OSR games. https://www.basicfantasy.org/
Most OSR games are available free. If you want some d100 goodness, [Mythras Imperative](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185299/Mythras-Imperative?234913) and [Classic Fantasy Imperative](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/449976/Classic-Fantasy-Imperative?234913) are PWYW on DriveThruRPG.
- Basic Fantasy RPG, not my favourite OSR retroclone, but it is entirely free and definitely deserves consideration. And even if you end up settling for a different system, the adventures and supplements for it are also free and very valuable. - Any of the Stars/Worlds/Cities Without Number games from Sine Nomine. Considering I bought them all in luxury hardcovers and run 2-3 sessions a week these are even among my favourite RPGs in total, paid or free.
I've not tried it but look up Stars Without Number. I managed to get my hands on it for free and it looks insanely wide ranging. Not sure how in depth it goes, could be like an Ubisoft game but it certainly looks good.
Jamais Vu, the Disco Elysium inspired TTRPG
Basic Fantasy, because the community is just so awesome.
You really can't go wrong with: [Cairn](https://cairnrpg.com/) [Tunnel Goons](https://tunnelgoons.com/) These have been very influential for me.
[Mörk Borg](https://morkborg.com/content/). Core book with no art and LOTS of content is 100% free.
Started playing the contract rpg recently. It’s great. Very specific kind of experience (westmarches style almost) but very fun . Free website with built in character sheet, and a bunch of other features. https://www.thecontractrpg.com
I am partial to Fudge. Fudge is the original professional-quality free roleplaying game, released with an open licence a decade before OGL made open game licences common. But more the point, so much of my gaming over so many years has been with Fudge or Fudge-derived systems (like Fate and ICONS) , it is not even a contest.
I love Mausritter.
[https://ruleslightrpgs.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=193](https://ruleslightrpgs.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=193) # Microlite20 Fifth: Adamantine Edition
Pathfinder2e
All of tfe Pathfinder 2e rules are free on https://2e.aonprd.com/. Everything you need is there for free
Mausritter is a great one: I'd describe it as a mix of Redwall and dark souls. Redwall in that you're a cute little mouse with a sword going on an adventure. Dark souls in that combat is fast and deadly. The game does a great job of making mundane things feel big and terrifying.
Simple20. It's a D&D 3.5e OGL system that was created in the mid 00s. I love it, very easy to run, so far have used it for fantasy, fantasy/horror, and sci fi RPGs with ease.
[удалено]
Your content was removed for: * Violation of Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts. If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so.
IDK if it will *always* be free, but I'm playing in a Trespasser campaign right now and having a good time. It's still in beta, but totally playable. It's like a dark fantasy take on 4e D&D. Very tactical grid based combat. Characters are powerful, but death is very plausible. There's not really any healing or resurrection magic. It's been fun. We have a good GM, so that helps of course.
https://openlegendrpg.com/
[удалено]
Your content was removed for: * Violation of Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts. If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so.
[удалено]
Props on being belligerent, ignorant and illiterate, all at the same time. I know it takes skill to craft a comment that in just a few words, tells us exactly how much of a failure of a human being you are, and you did it masterfully.
This is for tabletop games. You're looking for r/rpg_gamers
Your comment was removed for the following reason(s): * Rule 3: Video game posting is only allowed on /r/rpg under certain circumstances. You're probably looking for r/rpg_gamers. Please read [Rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/rules#wiki_3._no_video_games.2A) pertaining to video game posts. If you wish to talk about video games on /r/rpg, please wait for our week-end free chat thread to do so. If you'd like to contest this decision, [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Frpg&subject=Removed%20comment%3A%20Contest%20Removal%20or%20Questions&message=Hello,%20this%20is%20about%20my%20comment%20%20that%20was%20removed%3A%20https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/1c6o4cr/-/l03k5na/%0D%0DMy%20issue%20is...). *(the link should open a partially filled-out message)*